I hope you don't know why I am writing this but let me just say I will never ever completely trust spell check again, that's all I'm going to say on the subject.
The Armory Show is named for a 1913 exhibition that took place at the 69th Regiment Armory and for the first time showed European Modern art in America. The current fair was started in 1994 in a Gramercy Park hotel and now occupies over 200,000 square feet on piers 92 and 94. Try not to confuse that with The Art Show which starts today at the Park Avenue Armory.
I have never in my life seen so many black leather jackets in one place and no that statement doesn't include my closet. Anyway yesterday I said an art fair was part convention and part art show. Now it seems I need to add a biker rally to that, like an artistic Sturgis without the bikes. Now that's a thought though, we need bikes.
I was on my way up to Armory when I ran into a new Manhattan trend that I'm not at all thrilled about. On my way I stopped in a random coffee shop for a quick lunch and cup of coffee. I sat down with my coffee, opened up my net book, and promptly had another patron point out a sign that said no electronic devices allowed. I blurted out something on the order of "you've got to be freakin kidding me," gulped down my coffee, and bought a pretzel outside. I have no idea how they expect to compete with Starbucks and its free wifi.
Phantogram - When I'm Small
17:45 update - Everything I heard today said that sales were brisk last night at the VIP opening. Highest price tag I saw today was $2.2 million for a work by the late German painter Martin Kippenberger. The only other major highlight was seeing Sotheby's Vice President Lisa Dennison. Rumor had it Courtney Love was there too but I didn't see her or I would have offered her a bite of my pretzel.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Observations from Armory Week 3.1
A few days ago I was asked what and art fair actually was. An art fair is an event unlike any other museum exhibition or gallery show. It’s really a hard thing to describe because it is part art show, in that everything is for sale, and part a convention of some sort. The major fairs are in Switzerland (Art Basil being the original), Madrid, Cologne, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London, Miami, and New York.
The show side of a fair generally starts the day or night before the public opening with the VIP preview for mostly invited guests that include major galleries and collectors. The public is allowed in the next day for a fee, so basically you are paying for the right to buy something but only if you can afford it and only if the VIPs didn’t snap it up before you. This also means the fair organizer is making money off both the public and the gallery owners. A minimum booth at the Armory Fair costs $40,000 and a one day general admission ticket costs $30. The prevailing opinion is that it has to be a buyers market because there is so much art around but I have already seen things priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars so I don't know how true that could be.
For the past few years it’s been hard for galleries, especially new galleries, to make any money at fairs so now they tend to use the events as a chance to build relationships with other galleries and artists. Yet, as I said, booths are expensive so most everything is for sale however there is no law that says an owner has to sell it to you and some dealers are always looking to place their works with well known collectors. For an emerging artist trying to establish a career it's just to be seen at the fairs. Than again there are many artists like myself who have almost a private relationship with their work and feel strange seeing it viewed in public. I'm far from being the only artist who could best be described as an enigma.
With dealers, galleries, curators and collectors all attending it's a convention with a very artistic side. The social aspect of a major art fair can turn the city into one big block part with shows, parties, dinners, and special events crowding the calendar. A place to see and be seen, to network, to meet that gallery owner or artist or curator, find funding for a project, or maybe finally land that solo show.
Among the things I personally want to see is a forum with Gary Tinterow the curator of the recent Picasso exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It seems to be sold out but I’m still working on that, I’ll get myself in there one way or another.
The show side of a fair generally starts the day or night before the public opening with the VIP preview for mostly invited guests that include major galleries and collectors. The public is allowed in the next day for a fee, so basically you are paying for the right to buy something but only if you can afford it and only if the VIPs didn’t snap it up before you. This also means the fair organizer is making money off both the public and the gallery owners. A minimum booth at the Armory Fair costs $40,000 and a one day general admission ticket costs $30. The prevailing opinion is that it has to be a buyers market because there is so much art around but I have already seen things priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars so I don't know how true that could be.
For the past few years it’s been hard for galleries, especially new galleries, to make any money at fairs so now they tend to use the events as a chance to build relationships with other galleries and artists. Yet, as I said, booths are expensive so most everything is for sale however there is no law that says an owner has to sell it to you and some dealers are always looking to place their works with well known collectors. For an emerging artist trying to establish a career it's just to be seen at the fairs. Than again there are many artists like myself who have almost a private relationship with their work and feel strange seeing it viewed in public. I'm far from being the only artist who could best be described as an enigma.
With dealers, galleries, curators and collectors all attending it's a convention with a very artistic side. The social aspect of a major art fair can turn the city into one big block part with shows, parties, dinners, and special events crowding the calendar. A place to see and be seen, to network, to meet that gallery owner or artist or curator, find funding for a project, or maybe finally land that solo show.
Among the things I personally want to see is a forum with Gary Tinterow the curator of the recent Picasso exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It seems to be sold out but I’m still working on that, I’ll get myself in there one way or another.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Observations from Armory Week 2.28
This week is Armory Week in New York, or call it Art Week, much more important than the recently ended Fashion Week. Wednesday through Sunday is the big Armory Show on the 12th Avenue piers and, due to a miracle of scheduling, Tuesday through Sunday is the ADAA Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory.
The Armory Show includes over 270 dealers from around the globe spread over two piers. Pier 92 will host the modern art section of 76 dealers and pier 94 the contemporary section of 194 dealers, all together over 80 galleries and 23 countries are represented. To put it all in perspective a 50 square foot stand at the Armory show cost $40,000. On top of that are the 70 American dealers and galleries at the ADAA show. The record number of dealers at the Armory Show is blamed on a suddenly rebounding art market. Less than a year ago the market was bottoming out and many of the usual exhibitors gave up there spots to newcomers only to have the market rebound dramatically at Art Basil in December.
Almost a dozen other shows are taking place this week including the first ever at the gallery I supposedly work at. It will be a comparatively tiny show with only six galleries including our own and the floor space divided into six booths with a walkway down the middle (l). The owners arrived yesterday for tonight's opening and hopefully a nice dinner afterward.
I can't help but finishing this with a quote from the official ADAA press release. I think a friend of mine will get a kick out of it. "Aligning with newer fairs, such as The Armory Show and other concurrent expositions during the first week of March, The Art Show will celebrate New York’s iconic status as the center of the cultural world."
It must be true if they said so.
The Armory Show includes over 270 dealers from around the globe spread over two piers. Pier 92 will host the modern art section of 76 dealers and pier 94 the contemporary section of 194 dealers, all together over 80 galleries and 23 countries are represented. To put it all in perspective a 50 square foot stand at the Armory show cost $40,000. On top of that are the 70 American dealers and galleries at the ADAA show. The record number of dealers at the Armory Show is blamed on a suddenly rebounding art market. Less than a year ago the market was bottoming out and many of the usual exhibitors gave up there spots to newcomers only to have the market rebound dramatically at Art Basil in December.
Almost a dozen other shows are taking place this week including the first ever at the gallery I supposedly work at. It will be a comparatively tiny show with only six galleries including our own and the floor space divided into six booths with a walkway down the middle (l). The owners arrived yesterday for tonight's opening and hopefully a nice dinner afterward.
I can't help but finishing this with a quote from the official ADAA press release. I think a friend of mine will get a kick out of it. "Aligning with newer fairs, such as The Armory Show and other concurrent expositions during the first week of March, The Art Show will celebrate New York’s iconic status as the center of the cultural world."
It must be true if they said so.
Observations from the Window 2.28, Oscars
Let me start by saying this, the Academy Award coverage started on E! at 2PM Eastern Time. What the hell were they thinking? Seriously people, this isn’t the Super Bowl after all. How much can you talk about dresses?
Any other year I watch the Academy Awards to see who won and check out who is wearing what cool awesome slinky dress. In that way I guess it is like the Super Bowl which I tend to watch for the commercials when the Eagles aren’t in it, and yes that means pretty much every year. This year I only saw two of the best picture nominees, "The Social Network" and just last night I watched "Inception," so I really wasn't watching tonight because I knew the films.
No this year I had my own ulterior motive for watching. I watched to see co-host Anne Hathaway, star of film and also star of some wonderful fantasies of mine. I wont bore you with the details of those fantasies but after seeing her in a tux tonight I might be coming up with some new ones; the tux followed by the red dress , followed by the blue dress, followed by the sheer lace high collar dress. Damn, that girl is just hot and I want to take her home and raise a family of little dark haired kids. For the record I never said that last part and I'll deny any of it.
Oscar randomness. So honestly, does Randy Newman get nominated for a song every year or does it just seem that way? And speaking of singing, Gwyneth Paltrow please don't quit your day job any time soon. OK I opened my mouth and Newman wins his third Oscar, I'll just keep it shut from now on so I don't effect any more outcomes. it seems the Eagles can't win a Super Bowl but damn if Jeff Lurie didn't win an Oscar for "Inside Job." So take that Donavan McNabb, Philly wins one way or another. And yes, Scarlett Johansson, that’s all I’m going to say.
Final thought, some years there are terrible movies nominated for the best picture and the winner is that one good one that you know is a lock. Tonight all the films were totally awesome and still the winner was a lock. I honestly didn’t see and didn't hear one bad thing about “The King’s Speech” so I cant complain but still I was hoping for a surprise.
Now it’s time for my fantasies.
Hesta Prynn - Turn it Gold
update - I wrote this last night than just before posting it I found this little gem in a column about what you don’t see watching on TV. My kind of girl.
"During a commercial break early in the show, Anne Hathaway came out and thanked the audience “for all the energy you’re giving us.” She told everyone they looked fabulous and then held a quick raffle for a plate of sushi — “because the only thing more glamorous than being at the Oscars is eating sushi at the Oscars.” Referencing Leo’s f-bomb, Hathaway noted it was “really fucking good sushi."'
Any other year I watch the Academy Awards to see who won and check out who is wearing what cool awesome slinky dress. In that way I guess it is like the Super Bowl which I tend to watch for the commercials when the Eagles aren’t in it, and yes that means pretty much every year. This year I only saw two of the best picture nominees, "The Social Network" and just last night I watched "Inception," so I really wasn't watching tonight because I knew the films.
No this year I had my own ulterior motive for watching. I watched to see co-host Anne Hathaway, star of film and also star of some wonderful fantasies of mine. I wont bore you with the details of those fantasies but after seeing her in a tux tonight I might be coming up with some new ones; the tux followed by the red dress , followed by the blue dress, followed by the sheer lace high collar dress. Damn, that girl is just hot and I want to take her home and raise a family of little dark haired kids. For the record I never said that last part and I'll deny any of it.
Oscar randomness. So honestly, does Randy Newman get nominated for a song every year or does it just seem that way? And speaking of singing, Gwyneth Paltrow please don't quit your day job any time soon. OK I opened my mouth and Newman wins his third Oscar, I'll just keep it shut from now on so I don't effect any more outcomes. it seems the Eagles can't win a Super Bowl but damn if Jeff Lurie didn't win an Oscar for "Inside Job." So take that Donavan McNabb, Philly wins one way or another. And yes, Scarlett Johansson, that’s all I’m going to say.
Final thought, some years there are terrible movies nominated for the best picture and the winner is that one good one that you know is a lock. Tonight all the films were totally awesome and still the winner was a lock. I honestly didn’t see and didn't hear one bad thing about “The King’s Speech” so I cant complain but still I was hoping for a surprise.
Now it’s time for my fantasies.
Hesta Prynn - Turn it Gold
update - I wrote this last night than just before posting it I found this little gem in a column about what you don’t see watching on TV. My kind of girl.
"During a commercial break early in the show, Anne Hathaway came out and thanked the audience “for all the energy you’re giving us.” She told everyone they looked fabulous and then held a quick raffle for a plate of sushi — “because the only thing more glamorous than being at the Oscars is eating sushi at the Oscars.” Referencing Leo’s f-bomb, Hathaway noted it was “really fucking good sushi."'
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.26
It's the Saturday before spring break at Penn State so let me start by wishing you all a Happy State Patty's Day. Five years ago St. Patrick's Day fell during spring break so State Patty's Day was born to enjoy the holiday's drinking and other fine traditions. Well after all Penn State was awarded the #1 Party School title for a reason. Just picture a mid-winter football weekend with a lot of green clothes and beer, sad but that description reminds me of a Notre Dame football weekend.
I did read one comment to a blog post about State Patty's day that goes a long way in explaining why the 'holiday' has become a bit controversial with the locals in State College. Among other things the comment said this, ".... And if they really are afraid they SHOULD stay out of downtown that day. This town belongs to us." That is such a totally stupid thing to say. True State College wouldn’t be the same without Penn State but the reverse is also true, Penn State wouldn't be the same without State College. Drop the main campus in the middle of Philly or Pittsburgh and what would you have? Temple or Pitt, enough said.
Yesterday was just a dreary and rainy day in the Village but it was a day to get some work cleaned up at home. Yes a day for cleaning, washing the black, and maybe even buying some foods. But instead I started playing with what I loosely call my empire. I always had a list of my site links to the side of this blog but it can't tell you in any detail what they are so I came up with the idea of adding a page that did explain them better. Well while I was working on that idea I came up with yet another idea so now you can see why I don't get much sleep.
I love to look at other people's art almost as much as I enjoy working on my own. I can spend hours just looking at photos and paintings or just reading well written blogs. Really I just enjoy art in almost any form, it's what makes me go, and my idea was this. Up until now I had three Tumblr blogs all of which were nsfw and one of which is almost as secret as my Facebook page. I am always seeing shots of one kind or another that I love but that just don't fit into the idea of the other three Tumblrs, some of the shots I favorite and some I don't. I decided I would start a fourth one just to show photos that are totally safe and just as gorgeous as the others. I didn't get to that blog page but this is the official unveiling of le quatrième (l), the fourth and hopefully last of my Tumblrs.
Have a good one and enjoy the green beer.
Metallica - Whiskey In The Jar
I did read one comment to a blog post about State Patty's day that goes a long way in explaining why the 'holiday' has become a bit controversial with the locals in State College. Among other things the comment said this, ".... And if they really are afraid they SHOULD stay out of downtown that day. This town belongs to us." That is such a totally stupid thing to say. True State College wouldn’t be the same without Penn State but the reverse is also true, Penn State wouldn't be the same without State College. Drop the main campus in the middle of Philly or Pittsburgh and what would you have? Temple or Pitt, enough said.
Yesterday was just a dreary and rainy day in the Village but it was a day to get some work cleaned up at home. Yes a day for cleaning, washing the black, and maybe even buying some foods. But instead I started playing with what I loosely call my empire. I always had a list of my site links to the side of this blog but it can't tell you in any detail what they are so I came up with the idea of adding a page that did explain them better. Well while I was working on that idea I came up with yet another idea so now you can see why I don't get much sleep.
I love to look at other people's art almost as much as I enjoy working on my own. I can spend hours just looking at photos and paintings or just reading well written blogs. Really I just enjoy art in almost any form, it's what makes me go, and my idea was this. Up until now I had three Tumblr blogs all of which were nsfw and one of which is almost as secret as my Facebook page. I am always seeing shots of one kind or another that I love but that just don't fit into the idea of the other three Tumblrs, some of the shots I favorite and some I don't. I decided I would start a fourth one just to show photos that are totally safe and just as gorgeous as the others. I didn't get to that blog page but this is the official unveiling of le quatrième (l), the fourth and hopefully last of my Tumblrs.
Have a good one and enjoy the green beer.
Metallica - Whiskey In The Jar
Friday, February 25, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.25
Have you ever sat in front of your computer with four tabs open in Firefox or Chrome (two emails, facebook, and either news or blog feeds), one or two Gchats going orange, Photoshop open to work on photos, and, in my case, TweetDeck open on a netbook? Lost data slips by as you stare at that one orange Gchat wondering why it went quiet, wondering if you said something wrong. I have. In fact I am as I add Word on my laptop to the list so I can write this. I’m not even going to think about where Tumblr, Plurk, and my cell phone fit into this.
Insanity rules.
Tab, tab, tweet, tab, tweet. The Middle East erupts, the Middle West protests, Gadaffi blames the Easter Bunny, and I stare endlessly at that orange dot. I reread the last few lines of the chat knowing I didn’t say anything wrong but still wondering if I did. Why do I always have to be such a smart ass? Did she take something the wrong way? Should I explain what I meant or just let it go?
Total freaking netsanity.
Streaming YouTube, iTunes, half written unfinished than forgotten comments. Endless bits of information careening in front of my eyes as my brain begins to spin totally out of control.
And than the dot goes grey.
The Pretty Reckless - Just Tonight
Insanity rules.
Tab, tab, tweet, tab, tweet. The Middle East erupts, the Middle West protests, Gadaffi blames the Easter Bunny, and I stare endlessly at that orange dot. I reread the last few lines of the chat knowing I didn’t say anything wrong but still wondering if I did. Why do I always have to be such a smart ass? Did she take something the wrong way? Should I explain what I meant or just let it go?
Total freaking netsanity.
Streaming YouTube, iTunes, half written unfinished than forgotten comments. Endless bits of information careening in front of my eyes as my brain begins to spin totally out of control.
And than the dot goes grey.
The Pretty Reckless - Just Tonight
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Observations 2.22
This post is a little different in that I'm not going to say much at all, seriously. It's just that I read this article in The Wall Street Journal last night and the end of it is something I haven't seen anywhere else but yet is so obvious. It really just blew my mind a little when I read it; and please no comments on that. For what it's worth here is the part I am talking about with some italics I added and than a link to the full article.
".... it seems dictators learn fast and are perfectly capable of mastering the Internet. It's only by anticipating their response that those of us who care about democracy in the West can make their tough methods less effective. After all, these regimes have turned mostly to Western companies and consultants for advice about the technology of repression.
Triumphalism about recent events in the Middle East is premature. The contest is still in its early stages, and the new age of Internet-driven democratization will endure only if we learn to counter the sophisticated measures now being developed to quash it."
Monday, February 21, 2011
Observations from the Coffee Shop 2.21 Randomness
Borders books filed for bankruptcy last week and is supposedly closing over two hundred stores. The thought of that makes me sad because years ago my mom would take me to the local Borders on a Saturday afternoon for kids reading day, or poetry reading, or whatever was going on. I think my love of books started back than, it was a good thing. My sister told me that local Borders is one of the many scheduled to close.
I haven't lived with my dad for a couple years and I have just now noticed a major side effect of that. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing no longer seems to appeal to me the way it once did. Than again I do know what it is and I do know that a twenty year old rookie won the Daytona 500 yesterday. Maybe you should disregard this paragraph.
Last year my brother got me started watching "Whale Wars" on the Animal Planet network. It's a reality show following The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's struggle to end Japanese whaling. It tried to do this by putting its ships in the way of the whaling ships which became something I was rather fond of watching. Now filming of its fourth season has been suspending due to Japan's tentatively canceling the remainder of this years whaling season and going home. They blame the constant harassment by Sea Shepherd ships and its wee little helicopter. But what happens to the show with no whalers to harass?
And to prove life is still good ....
Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
I haven't lived with my dad for a couple years and I have just now noticed a major side effect of that. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing no longer seems to appeal to me the way it once did. Than again I do know what it is and I do know that a twenty year old rookie won the Daytona 500 yesterday. Maybe you should disregard this paragraph.
Last year my brother got me started watching "Whale Wars" on the Animal Planet network. It's a reality show following The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's struggle to end Japanese whaling. It tried to do this by putting its ships in the way of the whaling ships which became something I was rather fond of watching. Now filming of its fourth season has been suspending due to Japan's tentatively canceling the remainder of this years whaling season and going home. They blame the constant harassment by Sea Shepherd ships and its wee little helicopter. But what happens to the show with no whalers to harass?
And to prove life is still good ....
Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Observattions from the Window 2.20
Sometimes I get these massive headaches that feel like a vice is squeezing my head together from ear to ear. I have been told they aren't technically migraines but I have never been told what they in fact are. I don’t know what causes them, nobody seems to have any idea what causes them. A couple years ago I went through a whole array of tests just to see the doctor shrug as if to say karma.
I had one of them yesterday, the first I have had in a long time. Actually I think it was the first I had since I moved to the Village. There is nothing like spending 24 hours in bed, clawing at the pillows, chewing on Treximet, and praying it puts you back to sleep so you can forget the pain. Now the funny thing with Treximet is that one of the possible side effects is a rebound headache. I do not lie, a rebound headache, what the hell is the point?
The best explanation I was ever given was that it is totally stress related. Basically my brain isn't wired right to handle stress so it takes it to a point and than it overheats. My theory is that fluid intake should cool it down but I suppose alcohol isn't the right fluid to be taking in. It seems to work to a point and than it doesn't.
Anyway I had this idea to write down what i was thinking, that is if I was thinking anything other than just kill me now. I must admit that was the most prevalent thought I had. I guess my grand experiment was a failure because other than the kill me now thought it was mostly black without the white. A dark deep depression with no light anywhere, no escape, nowhere to hide. Seems almost like what I call the mood but with added pain. What a piece of work I am.
Karma
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company
I had one of them yesterday, the first I have had in a long time. Actually I think it was the first I had since I moved to the Village. There is nothing like spending 24 hours in bed, clawing at the pillows, chewing on Treximet, and praying it puts you back to sleep so you can forget the pain. Now the funny thing with Treximet is that one of the possible side effects is a rebound headache. I do not lie, a rebound headache, what the hell is the point?
The best explanation I was ever given was that it is totally stress related. Basically my brain isn't wired right to handle stress so it takes it to a point and than it overheats. My theory is that fluid intake should cool it down but I suppose alcohol isn't the right fluid to be taking in. It seems to work to a point and than it doesn't.
Anyway I had this idea to write down what i was thinking, that is if I was thinking anything other than just kill me now. I must admit that was the most prevalent thought I had. I guess my grand experiment was a failure because other than the kill me now thought it was mostly black without the white. A dark deep depression with no light anywhere, no escape, nowhere to hide. Seems almost like what I call the mood but with added pain. What a piece of work I am.
Karma
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.17
It finally happened, the temperature topped out at 62 today and broke that magic barrier. Yes there will be an end to this damn winter and hopefully there will be a real spring too. I thought it called for a celebration of sorts. I knew for a fact that Foxy was ready to take to the road after a month locked up in her garage and only running for five or ten minutes every couple days. I myself was ready to put that top down and take her for a drive around the city but I came upon one small problem that stopped me. In my excited state I somehow forgot that I had the hardtop on and I have no place to store it here so I'm stuck top up till I can drive down to my dad's. I still took her for a run up around Central Park just to get her some non-garage air.
Now I have a question; does anybody know how to get motor oil out of leather? See Foxy needed a quart of oil and with the sun getting lower I wasn't about to take the time to run to the apartment for a funnel so I did without. One should always remember not to squeeze the bottle to hard because it tends to make the oil sport out, in this case all over my arm. Maybe I should just keep the funnel in the trunk with my collection of old boots, tools, and the gods know what else I have in there.
One slight highlight of the drive was this. With Fashion Week winding down a chant was heard as I drove past Lincoln Center. "On to Muscat, on to Muskat" the stylish ones were screaming as they left the building. Well don't believe me if you don't want to, but I know what I heard.
If you happen to own a work by Andy Warhol now seems to be the time to sell because the man is hot. Tuesday night his portrait of Marilyn Monroe, “Nine Multicolored Marilyns (Reversal Series),” sold for $5.09 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale. That was followed Wednesday by the sale of a 6 foot by 6 foot red silkscreen self portrait for $17.4 million at the same auction. Also Armand Bartos Fine Arts opened the first ever show devoted to Warhol's soup can works. The show runs for thirty days than the gallery will close its doors forever.
Tomorrow is 'full moon Friday' so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all good luck. If my horoscope is any indication of how the day will go I think I'll be spending the day down the bunker.
Now dare I checkout the roof?
My Chemical Romance - Sing
Now I have a question; does anybody know how to get motor oil out of leather? See Foxy needed a quart of oil and with the sun getting lower I wasn't about to take the time to run to the apartment for a funnel so I did without. One should always remember not to squeeze the bottle to hard because it tends to make the oil sport out, in this case all over my arm. Maybe I should just keep the funnel in the trunk with my collection of old boots, tools, and the gods know what else I have in there.
One slight highlight of the drive was this. With Fashion Week winding down a chant was heard as I drove past Lincoln Center. "On to Muscat, on to Muskat" the stylish ones were screaming as they left the building. Well don't believe me if you don't want to, but I know what I heard.
If you happen to own a work by Andy Warhol now seems to be the time to sell because the man is hot. Tuesday night his portrait of Marilyn Monroe, “Nine Multicolored Marilyns (Reversal Series),” sold for $5.09 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale. That was followed Wednesday by the sale of a 6 foot by 6 foot red silkscreen self portrait for $17.4 million at the same auction. Also Armand Bartos Fine Arts opened the first ever show devoted to Warhol's soup can works. The show runs for thirty days than the gallery will close its doors forever.
Tomorrow is 'full moon Friday' so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all good luck. If my horoscope is any indication of how the day will go I think I'll be spending the day down the bunker.
Now dare I checkout the roof?
My Chemical Romance - Sing
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.16, Egypt
Following the lead of Tunisia and Egypt protests seem to be spreading like a wildfire through the Middle East with Iran, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, and Bahrain all seeing protests of one kind or another. Even in the newly democratic Iraq people are in the streets again. Why does that last sentence make me want to laugh or cry? It all makes the dark one in me want to start some sort of dictator death pool; any takers? I'll take Iran with the first pick, more out of hope than anything else.
At times the world seems such a tiny place. Over the weekend I was reading some about the Egyptian uprising and in the process came upon my own minor connection to it. Dr. Zahi Hawass was appointed Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs as part of a Mubarak's cabinet shakeup at the beginning of the protests. Always a controversial figure Dr. Hawass is at the center of a storm over what, if anything, was looted from the Egyptian Museum during the protests. I met Dr. Hawass at a lecture he gave at NYU a few years ago and got close enough to shake his hand. After reading "Egypt’s Zahi Hawass and a dark past" all I can say is this; I do not recall any call girls being present.
Another big story to come out of the Egyptian uprising was the government shutdown of the internet for five days. How the shutdown was done is something it has yet to explain in full but it seems it was accomplished by simply closing down the choke points where data enters and exits the country. Whether by high-tech means or by simply pulling the plug Egypt's internet was killed between 12 and 1 on the morning of January 28th and nobody knows how. In ways the strategy backfired on the government in that the shutdown had to be partly responsible for the near collapse of the Egyptian economy and that near collapse is what prompted the military to act.
And finally; I want my own internet and I want it yesterday. “It is not hard, when everybody is just in one big database controlled by Mr. Zuckerberg, to decapitate a revolution by sending an order to Mr. Zuckerberg that he cannot afford to refuse,” Mr. Moglen said." From "Decentralizing the Internet So Big Brother Can’t Find You." Totally awesome idea and a good article in the New York Times but I'll let you read it if you want and wont bore you with my geek side.
Bob Marley - Redemption Song
At times the world seems such a tiny place. Over the weekend I was reading some about the Egyptian uprising and in the process came upon my own minor connection to it. Dr. Zahi Hawass was appointed Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs as part of a Mubarak's cabinet shakeup at the beginning of the protests. Always a controversial figure Dr. Hawass is at the center of a storm over what, if anything, was looted from the Egyptian Museum during the protests. I met Dr. Hawass at a lecture he gave at NYU a few years ago and got close enough to shake his hand. After reading "Egypt’s Zahi Hawass and a dark past" all I can say is this; I do not recall any call girls being present.
Another big story to come out of the Egyptian uprising was the government shutdown of the internet for five days. How the shutdown was done is something it has yet to explain in full but it seems it was accomplished by simply closing down the choke points where data enters and exits the country. Whether by high-tech means or by simply pulling the plug Egypt's internet was killed between 12 and 1 on the morning of January 28th and nobody knows how. In ways the strategy backfired on the government in that the shutdown had to be partly responsible for the near collapse of the Egyptian economy and that near collapse is what prompted the military to act.
And finally; I want my own internet and I want it yesterday. “It is not hard, when everybody is just in one big database controlled by Mr. Zuckerberg, to decapitate a revolution by sending an order to Mr. Zuckerberg that he cannot afford to refuse,” Mr. Moglen said." From "Decentralizing the Internet So Big Brother Can’t Find You." Totally awesome idea and a good article in the New York Times but I'll let you read it if you want and wont bore you with my geek side.
Bob Marley - Redemption Song
2/21 update - At this point I have to say I was wrong to pick Iran in the death pool. As troops fire on protesters and ambassadors around the globe resign Libya seems to be the next to fall ....
From The Nation - "The End of Qaddafi?"
3/1 update - Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s antiquities chief mentioned above, resigned today.
3/30 update - From The New York Times today, "Zahi Hawass, who resigned as Egypt’s minister of antiquities less than a month ago under criticism for his close ties to former President Hosni Mubarak, was reappointed to the post on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an Egyptian news report; Mr. Hawass, reached by phone, confirmed his reappointment."
3/1 update - Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s antiquities chief mentioned above, resigned today.
3/30 update - From The New York Times today, "Zahi Hawass, who resigned as Egypt’s minister of antiquities less than a month ago under criticism for his close ties to former President Hosni Mubarak, was reappointed to the post on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an Egyptian news report; Mr. Hawass, reached by phone, confirmed his reappointment."
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.13
We in the Village are mired in the middle of the fall collection edition of New York Fashion Week and I for one am a bit tired of it. I'm not the biggest fan of Fashion Week to start with but today I went ice skating and there was a woman skating in a jacket so bizzare I just had to ask. In my most polite tone of voice I asked her what the hell she was wearing and was told faux monkey fur, I do not lie. OK I know the stuff is hot in the fashion world but this woman looked like she was wearing the whole faux monkey.
The problem with Fashion Week is there are too many people walking around who think they are stylish, want you to think they are stylish, and totally look like hell. Supposedly the New York Fashion Week is all about cool where Paris is about elegance. I myself dont see it, there isnt nearly enough black or leather and there are way too many mohawks for my taste. Call me an old fashioned dyke but i like that long silky hair I can wrap my fingers in when it is called for, but i digress.
Just to prove the whole fashion week thing is out of control I'll tell you about a notice we got at the gallery. We get all kinds of things about openings, parties, shows, and the like; some aren't exactly within walking distance but this was new. We received an invitation to the first ever Muscat Fashion Week in Oman which takes place from February 22nd through the 24th. There are now at least 18 fashion weeks that I know of and I'm probably missing some so please no more, I beg you.
I read a review of the Alexanedr Wang show hoping for anything positive and what I found made me cry myself to sleep (l). "There was a pretty balance between hard and soft in the textures and shapes used in the collection – we especially loved his buttery, black biker-girl jacket with a huge fur collar teamed up with beautifully tailored silk trousers. Is this what Joan Jett would look like if she grew up and got a job in an art gallery in the Big Apple? We hope so." I don't have words ....
By the way Milan fashion Week is from February 23rd through March 1st. I'm thinking if I'm going to be flying anywhere it isn't going to be to some city named after a rodent.
The problem with Fashion Week is there are too many people walking around who think they are stylish, want you to think they are stylish, and totally look like hell. Supposedly the New York Fashion Week is all about cool where Paris is about elegance. I myself dont see it, there isnt nearly enough black or leather and there are way too many mohawks for my taste. Call me an old fashioned dyke but i like that long silky hair I can wrap my fingers in when it is called for, but i digress.
Just to prove the whole fashion week thing is out of control I'll tell you about a notice we got at the gallery. We get all kinds of things about openings, parties, shows, and the like; some aren't exactly within walking distance but this was new. We received an invitation to the first ever Muscat Fashion Week in Oman which takes place from February 22nd through the 24th. There are now at least 18 fashion weeks that I know of and I'm probably missing some so please no more, I beg you.
I read a review of the Alexanedr Wang show hoping for anything positive and what I found made me cry myself to sleep (l). "There was a pretty balance between hard and soft in the textures and shapes used in the collection – we especially loved his buttery, black biker-girl jacket with a huge fur collar teamed up with beautifully tailored silk trousers. Is this what Joan Jett would look like if she grew up and got a job in an art gallery in the Big Apple? We hope so." I don't have words ....
By the way Milan fashion Week is from February 23rd through March 1st. I'm thinking if I'm going to be flying anywhere it isn't going to be to some city named after a rodent.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Observations from the Coffee Shop 2.11, Egypt
So in the end the Egyptian military made its choice and Mubarak had to go.
Call me strange if you must but I get so into moments like this. Maybe after studying so much history I just get a kind of high when I realize I'm seeing history being made as I watch. If I could have been there I would have, taking pics or sitting on top of a tank just taking it all in. Maybe I found my camera too late and missed my calling; maybe it's never too late. Please don't anybody tell my dad I wrote that.
With Wael Ghonim as their hero the Egyptian people toppled the so called 'Last Pharaoh' and forced his resignation. Ghonim , a 30 year old Google executive , was the anonymous activist behind the 'We Are All Khaled Said' Facebook page from which the January 25th movement evolved. For the last eighteen days the people of Egypt chased a dream, a dream of freedom, and today they caught up with that dream. Nobody can know how events will play out in the next few weeks and months but one thing is certain; Egypt and the world itself will never be the same. And what comes after this? "Ask Facebook," Ghonim told CNN. "I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg one day and thank him."
In October Malcolm Gladwell wrote in The New Yorker (l) that "the revolution will not be tweeted." Maybe he was wrong, maybe the next revolution is being planned on Facebook as I write this. I can only hope so.
Allāhu Akbar
Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts Now
23:50 update - Once again the GOP is on the wrong side of history. In his speech to the CPAC convention Ron Paul disagreed with the idea that the US "has a moral responsibility to spread our goodness around the world.We need to do a lot less a lot sooner, not only in Egypt but around the world."
Call me strange if you must but I get so into moments like this. Maybe after studying so much history I just get a kind of high when I realize I'm seeing history being made as I watch. If I could have been there I would have, taking pics or sitting on top of a tank just taking it all in. Maybe I found my camera too late and missed my calling; maybe it's never too late. Please don't anybody tell my dad I wrote that.
With Wael Ghonim as their hero the Egyptian people toppled the so called 'Last Pharaoh' and forced his resignation. Ghonim , a 30 year old Google executive , was the anonymous activist behind the 'We Are All Khaled Said' Facebook page from which the January 25th movement evolved. For the last eighteen days the people of Egypt chased a dream, a dream of freedom, and today they caught up with that dream. Nobody can know how events will play out in the next few weeks and months but one thing is certain; Egypt and the world itself will never be the same. And what comes after this? "Ask Facebook," Ghonim told CNN. "I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg one day and thank him."
In October Malcolm Gladwell wrote in The New Yorker (l) that "the revolution will not be tweeted." Maybe he was wrong, maybe the next revolution is being planned on Facebook as I write this. I can only hope so.
Allāhu Akbar
Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts Now
23:50 update - Once again the GOP is on the wrong side of history. In his speech to the CPAC convention Ron Paul disagreed with the idea that the US "has a moral responsibility to spread our goodness around the world.We need to do a lot less a lot sooner, not only in Egypt but around the world."
Observations from the Window 2.11
It was below twenty degrees again last night. I don’t really care how far below twenty it goes, below twenty is cold enough for me. I just sit in the window watching the people walk down the street all bundled up and all looking like smokers who found a way to smoke without cigarettes. Even my vendor has disappeared for now, his spot on the corner replaced by of trash appearing under a melted snow pile which is now frozen into some macabre urban ice sculpture. It all combines to make me dream of spring, something that at times seems farther away every day.
My brain has started a list, a sort of psycho wish list, of things to keep itself warm. So ....
I want it to be warm outside; I'm talking 70 or 80 degrees warm. I want to be able to say I'm hot and not just be looking in the mirror when I say it. I want to hear that I have the house at the shore for my annual week of relaxation or solo debauchery or whatever it is I do there. I want to sit with my feet buried in the sand while I sip on an ice cold Corona and chew on the lime. True, I don't actually sip beer but I like the thought just the same. I want Fred's. I want to drive Foxy with the top down, the stereo blaring, and peeps thinking I must be totally insane. I want to buy sunscreen and not just need it for my face because the snow is too damn bright.
I want to sit on the roof in a tank and shorts and watch the stars all night.
Now that I have probably totally jinxed myself I do have one realistic thought that is warming. Phillies pitchers and catchers report Sunday. Maybe spring isn't that far off after all.
Sheryl Crow - Anything But Down
My brain has started a list, a sort of psycho wish list, of things to keep itself warm. So ....
I want it to be warm outside; I'm talking 70 or 80 degrees warm. I want to be able to say I'm hot and not just be looking in the mirror when I say it. I want to hear that I have the house at the shore for my annual week of relaxation or solo debauchery or whatever it is I do there. I want to sit with my feet buried in the sand while I sip on an ice cold Corona and chew on the lime. True, I don't actually sip beer but I like the thought just the same. I want Fred's. I want to drive Foxy with the top down, the stereo blaring, and peeps thinking I must be totally insane. I want to buy sunscreen and not just need it for my face because the snow is too damn bright.
I want to sit on the roof in a tank and shorts and watch the stars all night.
Now that I have probably totally jinxed myself I do have one realistic thought that is warming. Phillies pitchers and catchers report Sunday. Maybe spring isn't that far off after all.
Sheryl Crow - Anything But Down
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